Machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material



E. E. WINKLEY MACHiNE FOR OPERATING UPON BLANKS OF SHEET MATERIAL FiledNov. 15, 1919 s Sheet s-Sheec 1 Dec. '9, 1924- E. E. WINKLEY MACHINE FOROPERATING UPON BLANKS OF SHEET MATERIAL 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 mam? Filed Nov.15. 1919 rll I. at

E. E. WINKLEY MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON BLANKS 0F SHEET MATERIAL Dec.9, 1924- 8 Sheets-Sheet 13 Z7zae7d0r Dec. 9,1 4 1,518,171

' E. E. WINKLEY IACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON BLANKS 9F SHEET MATERIALFiled NOV. 15, 1919 8 Sheets-Sheet 4,

Dec. 9. 1924. 1,513,171

v E. E. WINKLEY MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON'BLANKS OF SHEET MATERIALFiled Nov. 15. 1919 a Sheets-Sheet s meat/6,02"

Dag, 9, 1924. 1,518,171

- 5. E. WINKLEY IACBINE FOR OPERATING UPON BLANKS OF SHEET MATERIALFiled Nov. 1 1919 s Sheds-Sheet e E. E. WINKLEY MACHIN E FOR OPERATINGUPON BLANKS OF SHEET MATERIAL Filed Nov. 15, 1919 QSheets-Shee't 7 IDeg, 9,

, E. E. WINKLEY IACHI NE FOR OI ERATING UPON BLANKS OF SHEET MATERIALFiled NOV. 15, 1919 8 Sheets-Sheet B Patented Dec. 9, i924.

Nrrno sraras ATENT OFFICE.

ERASTUS E. WINKLEY, OF LYNN, MIASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA-CHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW? JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON BLANKS F SHEET MATERIAL.

Application filled November 15, 1919.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, Ennsrus E. VVINKLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Machine forOperating upon Blanks of Sheet Material; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines for operating upon blanks ofsheet material and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine forskiving heel lifts and arranging them conveniently for removal from themachine.

The object of the invention is to re-organize and improve theconstruction of machines of the character named for the purpose ofrendering them more efficient in operation.

To the accomplishment of this object and such others as may hereinafterappear, as

will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the inventioncomprises the fea tures and combinations of parts hereinafter describedand particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The various features of the invention will be best understood from adescription of the preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in front elevation ofthe machine; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine on an enlargedscale, a portion thereof being broken away; Fig. 3 is a view, inelevation, partly broken away and on an enlarged scale of the right handend of the machine; Fig. 4-, is a vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2; 5 is a vertical sectional Viewtaken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1-; Fig. 6 is a horizontalsectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1, but on a larger scalethan the latter figure; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional View on the line77 of Fig. 1., but on a larger scale; and Fig. 8 is an enlargedsectional plan view of a portion of the machine showing particularly thestop mechanism.

Serial No. 338,234.

In. the illustrated machine, the heel lifts to be operated upon are heldand advanced in a horizontally extending stack upon a feed table and arewithdrawn one at a time 'knife. The skived lift passes downwardly at oneside of the knife where it is frictionally held until it is pushed bythe succeeding lift in front of a stacking blade. I The stacking bladeoperates to deliver the lift to a magazine in stacked relationship withthe lifts previously delivered thereto.

Referring to the drawings, the machine comprises, in general, a frame 10(Fig. 1) upon which the various parts and operating mechanisms of themachineare mounted; a horizontal feed table 12 which is located at thetop of the frame 10 and on which the lifts to be operated upon arestacked face to face with their breast edges resting on the table; apair of intermittently operated endless feed chains 14 2), each having aplurality of pawls 16 for engagingsthe lifts and feeding them across thetable; a gage plate 18 (Figs. 3 and a) located above the lifts at theinner end of the stack to prevent any substantial upward displacement ofsaid lifts; a stop member 20 having an annular portion against which theendmost lift in the stack is pressed as the stack is yieldingly advancedby the feed chains; a pair of clamping jaws 22 for securely holding inposition a plurality of lifts at the inner end of the stack betweensuccessive movements of the feed chains 14.; a reciprocating picker 24:(Fig. 4) which periodically advances through the annular portion thestop member 20 to seize the endmost lift of the stack, and which isretracted, together with said stop member, to withdraw the lift from thestack, and then release the lift; a pusher 26 for operating upon theliftas it is released by the picker 24 and projecting it downwardly in asubstantially verdeal plane; a pair of horizontal feed rolls 28 and 30between which the lift is introduced by the pusher 26; a stationary, vcrtically disposed skiving knife 32 for shiving the lift as it is forcedby said feed rolls against the adjacent cutting edge of the knife; auiding plate 34 for directing the skived lifts downwardly at therequired angle; means for insuring an orderly passage of the lifts afterleaving the feed rolls, comprising a yielding lift-retaining linger 36which frictionally engages the lift issuing from the feed rolls andholds it against the guiding plate 34 until it is released by theadvance of the succeeding lift; an oscillatory stacking blade 38 infront of which the lift is pushed; a magazine 40 into which the liftsare delivered in stacked relation by the stacking blade 38; and stopmechanism which is indicated generally at 42, in Figs. 1 and 4, forautomatically stopping the machine upon an interruption of thecontinuity of the passage of the skived lifts into the magazine 40.

The frame 10 comprises a pair of standards 44 (Fig. which are located atthe a front and rear of the machine and are rigidly connected togetherby suitable tie rods and braces, and a substantially rectangular head46, which is supported by the standards 44, the flat top-surface of thehead 46 constituting the .feed table 12. The various mechanisms of themachine are actuated by a plurality of cams which are secured upon a camshaft 48 (Figs. 1 and 4) whichextends horizontally across the machine,from the front to the rear thereof, and is jonrnaled in the lowerportions of the standards 44. Atthe rear of the machine the cam shaft 48is provided with a fast pulley 50 which is adapted to receive a beltthat is driven from any suitable source of pow r. and a loose pulley 52is provided onto which the belt may be shifted when it is desired tostop the machine. The various cam levers are pivotally mounted upon arod 54 (Fig. 3) which extends across the machine between the standards44.

The lift feeding mechanism is shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7.A stack of lifts X (Figs. 1 and 2) is supported with the breast edges ofthe lifts resting upon the feed table 12 and the lateral edges thereofconfined between vertical guiding surfaces 56 which constitute parts ofhousings 58 in which the two feed chains 14 are arranged with parallelstretches extending along the sides of thestack. The feed pawls 16 withwhich the chains 14 are each provided at intervals, project inwardlybeyond the guiding surfaces 56 and are spring pressed outwardly from thechains so that the pointed ends of. the pawls may engage the lateralmargins or side edges of whatever lifts chance to lie adjacent them andthus feed the stack forwardly as a consequence of the movement of thechains. Owing to the yieldable character of the pawls 16 additionallifts may be introduced between corrcsIunuh ing pawls on the opposed'etches of the chain by pushing the lifts forward between the chains. Asshown in. Fig. T. the feed pawls 16 are pivotally mounted upon pins 60which project upwardly and dowinvardly from the pawls into guidinggrooves Q and 64 which are formed respectively in the housings 58 and inframes 66 which are mounted on the feed table 12. The parallel inneredges 67 of the frames 66 cmistilute additional guiding surfaces for thelateral edges of the stack of lifts on the feed (able.

The feed chains 14 are snipportcd by min-in. of sprocket wheels 68 (Fig.the wheels being fixed on the upper ends of shafts To which arejournaled vertically in the f ames 66. In order to drive the chains if.the shafts 70 at the outer ends of the frames 66 are provided, as shownin Figs. 6 and 'i" with worm wheels 72 at their lower ends and theseworm wheels engage right and left hand worms on a shaft 74 which isjonrnaled transversely in the head 46 below the feed table 12. The shaft74 is actuated intermittently by means of pawl and ratchet mechanism,which is shown in Figs. 1. and 6. said mechanism comprising a ratchetwheel T6 sccured to the shaft 74, a driving pawl T6 carried by a rockerarm 80, pivotally mounted upon. the shaft 74, and a suitable holdingpawl 82 pivoted on. the head 46.

The rocker arm 80 is bent downwardly at its outer end and is connectedby a linh fi-h with one arm of a cam lever 96 (Figs. 4 and 6) that isfulcrumcd on the rod 5 .1. The other arm of the lever 66 is providedwith a cam roller 88 which is adapt ed to engage the periphery of a cam91; on the (N111 shaft 48, the roll being held in engagement with thecam by means of a spring 652. M the proper time in the cycle of thenurchino the cam 90 permits the spring 92 to actuate the cam lever 66 soas to rock the arm 80 in a direction to advance. the feed chainsyieldingly through the space of one feed movement, or until the lift atthe end of the stack has been brought into contact with ihc stop member26. Continued rotation of the cam 90 actuates the cam lever positivclvin the opposite direction and rocks the arm W hack to its originalposition.

In order to adjust the feed mechanism to operate upon lifts ofdifi'erent sizes. it is necessary to move the chains 14 together withthe opposed lift guiding surfaces Tu; and similar surfaces 67 toward andfrom each other, respectivclv. ,x\crordingly, the frames 66 are arrangedto move transversely on the feed table 12 and to this end each frame 66is provided with two studs 34 (Fig. near the opposite ends of the frameand these studs project downwardly through slots 96 in the base webs ofthe frame. It will be observed that the studs are arranged in pairs, theindividual studs of each pair be ing on opposite frames 66 and arrangednearly opposite each other. The substantially opposed studs 94 of eachpair are connected by linlrs 98 with opposite ends of a lever 100 whichis fulcrumed upon a stud 102 projecting from the underside of the feedtable 12. As shown in Fig. '1', a nut 104 is provided at the lower endofeach stud 94 for the purpose of supporting the link 98 which ispivoted thereon. In order to provide for simultaneous inward and outwardmovements of the frames 66 and feed chains 14, and to insure that theopposite feed chains shall he maintained in paralleh ism with each otheras they are moved toward and from each other, each lever 100 is providedwith a third arm 106 (F and these arms 106 are connected by means of alink 108. One of the studs 94 extends upwardly through the frame 66 andvthe housing 58, and its upper end is threaded above the ho-us ing andprovided with a hand nut 110. Said stud 94 is prevented from turning inthe frame 66 by means of a set screw 112 in the frame which projectsinto a slot 114. in the stud, and when the nut 110 is tightened the link98, through which said stud 94 extends, will be clamped between the nut104 at the bottom of the stud and the underside of the feed table 12. Byloosening the nut 110 and shifting its stud 94 laterally in the slot 96,the feed chains 14 and the opposed lift guiding surfaces may beconveniently adjusted toward or from each other simultaneously and by asingle operation.

The gage plate 18 which prevents substair tial upward displacement ofthe lifts at the forward or inner end of the stack on the feed table issecured to the lower end of a stem 118, as best shown in Fig. 4. Thestem 118 is externally screw threaded and extends vertically through asleeve 120 which is mounted to turn without longitudinal movement in abearing formed in a cross bar 122 which is supported above the feedtable. The gage plate 18 is ll-shaped in cross-section (see Fig. 3) soas to enable it to engage the curved rear edges of the lifts on oppositesides of a medial line perpendicular to the breast edge thereof and thusmore efficiently prevent upward displacement due to tilting of the liftsabout one or the other of their breast corners. The gage plate, togetherwith the stem 118, is prevented from turning by means of a pin 124 whichprojects upwardly from the gage plate and ex tends into an opening inthe cross bar 122. At the top of the sleeve 120 a head 126 is providedby means of which the sleeve may be readily turned to adjust thevertical position of the gage according to the size of the lifts beingoperated upon.

In order to insure that each feed movement imparted to the stacl; oflifts of the feed table shall advance the endmost lift into properposition to be seized by the picker 24, the stop member 20 is employed.This stop member is periodically brought into position to arrest theadvancing movement of the lifts and retracted to permit the with drawalof the endmost lift by the picker. The stop member 20 is provided withan annular portion 130 (Fig. 4), one lateral face of which is arrangedto engage the end lift of the stack while the opening through saidportion permits the passage therethrough oi the picker as it is advancedto seize a lift Extending perpendicularly to the annular portion 130 ofthe stop member is an arm 132 2} which is mounted in a bearing 134 onthe. feed table for longitudinal sliding movement to permit the stopmember to he alternately advanced or retracted in the manner described.

The sliding movements of the stop member 20 are effected by means of anoperating lever 1236 (Figs. 2, and 4) fulcrumed between its ends on arod 138 which is secured in the standards 44, the upper end of the lever136 being pivotally connected with the arm 132 of the stop member bymeans of a pin 140 which projects from said arm and extends through anopening in the lever. 'llhe lower end of the lever 136 is connected by alink 14.2 with a cam lever 144 that is fulcrumed on the rod 54 and isprovided with a cam roll 146 which is acted upon by cam 1.48 on the camshaft 48, so as to positively advance the stop member 20 into operativeposition. A spring 150 holds the cam roll 146 against'the cam andeffects the retraction of the stop member 20.

\Vhen the picker 24 is pressed into engage ment with the endmost lift inthe stack on the feed table, as will presently be explained, it isnecessary to hold the stack firmly to prevent it from yielding to thepressure of the picker, particularly when a stack is so long that theelasticity of the lifts would permit considerable movement under suchpressure. Accordingly, means is provided for clamping the lifts near theinner end of the stack after each feed movement of the chains 14, saidmeans comprising the pair of clamping jaws 22 which act upon theopposite lateral edges of the lifts. The clamping jaws 22 are carried atthe lower ends of a pair of clamp arms 152 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) which arepivotally mounted on studs 154, projecting from the cross bar 122, sothat the clamping jaws may be swung into and out of clamping position.The clamping jaws 22 are constructedof yielding material which willfirmly grip the edges of the lifts.

in order that the clamping surface of the jaws 22 may conform to theinclination of the edges of the lifts and ma be adjusted to suit liftsof different forms and sizes, the are set into blocks 156 havingcylindrical outer surfaces engaging concave sockets in the clamp 22 ms152. The clamp jaws are adjustably secured in the sockets by bolts 158extending through vertical slots in the clamp arms. In order that thelift at the forward. or innen. end of the stack may be readily withdrawnby the picker when the clamp are in clamping; positiom each clamp jaw isbevelled 160 (Fig. 4-.) t. ..ent the forward end of its lift en surfaceso that the endmost lift will not be engaged and clamped by the js 'llhebevelled faces 160. will however tend to prevent lateral displacement orti ting of the lifts when they are be' j the picker. The clamp arms14).. eonsti 'i tions of hell crank levers the other which projecttoward each other nate in segmental gears 102 which into and cause theclamp arms to ha" 1 ;aneous inward and outward i'novements. The clamparms 152 are normally held in open or inoperative positions by means ofa spring 16 1 which connects upward extensions on the two arms.

The means for actuating the clamp arms 152 comprises an arm 168 (Figs.2, 3 and 5) which is pivoted on one of the studs 154: for

vertical swinging movement adjacent the corresponding clamp arm 152 andis provided with a laterally irojecting. lug 168 through which a screw170 extendsand engages a lug 172 formed on the adjacent clamp arm 152.The arm 166 is connected by a link 17% with a cam lever 170 (see also 1)that is fulcrumed on the rod 541. The cam lever 1T8 carries a cam roll1'? 8 which is engaged by a cam 180 on the cam shaft 48, the roll beingheld against the cam by a spring 182. After the stack of lifts on thefeed table has been advanced by the feed chains 14- against the stopmember 20, the cam 180 permits the spring 182 to actuate the arm 186 andclose the clamping jaws 22 yieldingly upon the lifts. The arm 166 isthereafter positively returned by the cam 180 and the clamping arms 152are then opened by the spring 16 1.

The picker mechanism is shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 41-. Thepicker 241 has shank which is supported and guided. in a tubularguideway 18d that is secured to the top of the feed table 12. The shankof the picker comprises a central rod or stem 186 upon the inner end ofwhich is fixed. a sleeve 188 which fits and slides within the guideway.At the outer end of the shank a pinion 190 is fixed on the stem 186 theteeth of the pinion also fitting and being adapted to slide Within theguideway. At the inner extremity o f the shank is a head in which aresecured a plurality of curved claws 192. These claws; projectl'lGllCfllllJ i: run the head, that is, in such a direction that theymay be introduced into a lift by a helical movement like that of acorkscrew. The construction of these claws and the manner in which theyare mounted in the head is substantially the same as that disclosed inLetters Patent of the United tates No, 1.280.349, granted October 1.1918. to the present applicant.

After .ie stop member 20 has been advanced into operative position, asshown in Fig. 4:. the head of the picker is advanced throu h the annularportion 130 o f the stop memin into engagnwbent with the cudmosi lift ithe stack. 'wluireupim the head of the picker is rotated in a directionto project the claws 192 into the li ft. The lift having; been thusseized by the picker claws, both the stop member 20 and the picker areretracted simultaneously from the stack, the picker withdrawing the endlift until its curved rear ed 'e is lDlOiifjjiih directly beneath thepusher The stop member 20 is held stationai after being retracted, todefinitely position the withdrawn lift in the path of the pusher 26. Theend face of the picker is retracted slightly beyond the lift engagingface of the stop member and rotated in a direction to withdraw thepicker claws from the lift as the latter is held by the stop memher fromfollowing up the picker. It will be seen that the stop member thusserves to strip the lift from the picker claws. The pusher 26 thenprojects the lift downwardly, through an opening 198 in the food table,and introduces the breast end of the bit between the feed rolls 28 and30.

For the purpose of applying longitudinal movement to the picker, asleeve 194: Ii: mounted to slide on the stem 186 and a com pressionspring 196, surrounds the stem and is interposed between the sleeve 188and a washer 198 which is splined to the stem and rests against thesleeve 194. The spring 190 acts to retain the sleeve 194t normallyagainstthe pinion 190, as shown in Figs. 2 and. a. The sleeve 191 has alateral projection which extends through a longitudinal slot 200 in theguideway 18 1 which carries a roller 202. This roller is received in anopeningin the upper end of a lever 201-. which fulcrumed on the rod 188and is connected at its lower end by a link 206 with a cam lever 208that is fulcrumed on the rod 5%. A cam roll 210 at the lower end of thislever is held by a spring 212 against a cam 211 on. the cam shaft 48.When the cam lever 208 is acted upon by the cam, the picker is advancedyielding'lv against the lift at the end oi" the stack, by means of thespring! 196.

After the picker has been advanced against a lift (it is rotated tocause the claws 192 to penetrate the lift. A lift having been seized bythe picker, the picker is then retracted, together with the stop member20, to withdraw the lift from the stack, and thereafter the picker isrotated in the opposite direction from that in which it was previouslyrotated, to remove the picker claws from the lift. The rotativemovements are imparted to the picker by a rack bar 216 (Figs. 3 and 4),which is mounted to slide in a transverse bearing that is formed at oneside of the guideway 184. The rack teeth mesh with the teeth of thepinion 190.

The rack bar 216 is actuated through a rod 218 which is supported andguided for vertical sliding movement in the bearing 220 that is securedto the head 46. In order that the movements of the rod 218 may beyieldingly communicated to the rack bar 216, the upper end of the rod,which is reduced in diameter. extends upwardly through the rack bar andprojects above it sufiiciently to permit a spring 222 to surround therod between a nut 224, at the top thereof, and the top face of the rackbar. The spring 222 normally holds the rack bar against a shoulder 226on the rod 218. With this construction, the downward movement of the rod218 holds the rack bar downwardlv, through the spring 222, and rotatesthe picker claws, causing them to yieldingly penetrate the lift. Thedownward movement of the rod 218 is derived from a cam lever 228 that isfulcrumed on the rod 54. The lever 228 is operatively connected at oneend with the rod 218 and is provided at its opposite end with a cam roll230 which is held by a spring 232 against a earn 234 on the cam shaft48.

Inasmuch as the material of which the lifts are composed variesconsiderably in density, the yieldingly actuated picker claws penetratemore deeply into some lifts than into others and consequently the spring222 will be COll'lPl'GSSGd to different extents by the dowruvardIHOVGll'lQlli; of the rod 218 after the picker claws have penetrated asfar as possible into a lift. In order that there may be no tendency forthe lifts to be rotated by the force of the compressed spring 222, thecompression of the spring is relieved before the lift is withdrawn fromthe stack by the picker. To this end the extremity of the cam lever 228,which is operatively connected with the rod 218, is bifurcated tostraddle the thickened lower end of said rod and is confined between apair of flanges 236 (Fig. 4) which are spaced apart sufficiently to perniit the occurrence of lost motion between the lever 228 and the rod218. When the spring 232 is permitted by the cam 234 to raise the end ofthe lever which actuates the rod 218, the rod is first permitted to beraised by the force of the spring 222 until the shouldcr 226 on the rod218 engages the bottom face of the rack bar 216 and the spring 222 nolonger exerts any force tending to rotate the picker claws. The stopmember 20 and the picker 24 are then permitted by their re spective camsto be retracted simultaneously by the springs connected with their camlevers to effect the withdrawal of the lift from the stack. lVhile thelift is being withdrawn, continued movement of the cam lever 228, underthe influence of its spring 232, brings the bifurcated. end of saidlever into contact with the upper flange on the rod 218, thus liftingthe rod and the rack bar 216 and rotating the picker in the oppositedirec tion to withdraw the claws of the picker from the lift. The liftengaging face of the stop member 20 is serrated in order to prevent thelift from turning as the picker is rotated to release the claws from thelift and thus to insure that the breast edge of the lift will bepresented squarely to the grasp of the feed rolls 28 and 30.

To permit the picker 24 to be conveniently removed from the tubularguideway 184, the upper arm of the lever 204 is jointed at 238 (Figs. 3and 4) so that the upper extremity of said arm may be swung outwardlyfrom the guideway to disengage the lever 204 from the roller 202. Therod 218 is also constructed in two parts join-ted at 240 and the rackbar through which the reduced upper portion of the rod 218 extends isconfined in its bearing at the side of the guideway by a cover plate242. The cover plate 242 is pivoted at 244 to the side of the guidewaywhen it is maintained in position to hold the rack in its bearing bymeans of a pin 246. By removing the pin 246 and swinging the plate toone side, the upper portion of the rod 218 may be swung downwardly atthe joint 24.0. carrying the rack bar with it out of engagement with thepinion 190. The picker may then be readily removed from its guideway orreplaced therein.

lmn'iediately after being released by the picker 24, the lift is engagedby the pusher 26 and introduced thereby to the grasp of the feed rolls28 and 80. The pusher 2600mprises a yoke-shaped head (see Fig. 3) whichis formed at the free end of the upwardly extending arm of a lever 2504). The lever 250 is fulcrumed on a stud 252 that is adjustably securedin a bracket 254 rising from the head 46 of the machine frame. Thedownwardly extending arms of the yokeshaped head of the pusher 26 areadapted to engage the curved rear edge of the lift which has beenwithdrawn from the stack. and the arms are spaced far enough apart topermit the annular portion of the stop member 20 to pass between thearms when it is returned to operating position. The downward movement ofthe pusher is so timed that the pusher comes into contact with the liftat about the time the picker is being rotated to retract the pickerclaws from the lift, and thus serves as an additional means ii (l forpreventing the lift from participating in the rotative movement of thepicker. The lift engaging arms of the pusher are pointed at their lowerends so as to resist any tendeney of the lift to turn in its own planeas it is being moved by the pusher. into the grasp of the feed rolls.The fulcrum stud 252 of the pusher lever 250 may be adjusted verticallyin the bracket 25% to vary the working stroke of the pusher inaccordance with the size of the lifts to be operated upon so as toinsure that irrespective of their size the lifts will be engaged by thepusher at the same point in each cycle of operations of the machine andthat the lifts will be pushed just far enough to positively introducethem between the feed rolls.

The pusher lever 250 is actuated by a cam lever 256 (Figs. 3and i) thatis fulcrumed on the rod 5a and to which the pusher lever is connectedbymeans of a link 258. The cam lever 256 carries a cam roll 260 which isheld against a cam 262 on the cam shaft 48 by means of a spring 2652,the spring acting to impart the downward or operative movement to thepusher when per mitted to do so by the cam and the pusher beingsubsequently lifted positively by the cam to its normal inoperativeposition.

"The operation of the pusher 26 insures the stripping of the lift fromthe picker claws in case the lift should tend to cling to the clawsafter the picker has been rotated to release the lift. When the stopmember is retracted, the pusher 26 is in its lower most position and theouter lateral face of the head of the pusher supports the endmost liftof the stack on the feed table and prevents it from falling out of placeas the clamp'ng jaws 22 are opened preparatory to the next feed movementof the feed chains 14. Before the pusher is lifted the stop member 20 isadvanced into operative position the annular portion of the stop memberpassing between the arms of the yoke shaped head of the pusher andserving to prevent displacement of the end lift after the pusher hasbeen lifted to its normal position.

In heel lift skiving and stacking machines heretofore suggested thelifts to be operated upon are stacked one on top of another and are fedfrom the bottom of the stack to the operating instrumentalities of themachine. .Cons'derable difficulty has been experienced with machines ofthis general type when the lifts that are being operated upon are notperfectly flat but are somewhat warped or twisted out of shape. It isnot at all unusual for lifts to be more or less warped or twisted andwhen such a condition prevails, the pusher may fail to engage and feedcertain of the lifts or it may feed more than one of them at a time sothat the mechanism will become jammed and stop the machine.

iVith the present construction. however in which the lifts are arrangedon edge in a horizontal column, and a picker seizes the exposed face ofthe endmost lifn the fact that the lift is warped or twisted does notinterfere with the lift withdrawing operation and a uniform anduninterrupted delivery of the lifts to the skiv ng mechanism is assured.

The skiving mechanism which comprises the two feed rolls 28 and 530 andthe station ary knife 32 resembles, in its general con struction, theskiving mechanism COlTllllOlll used in the mamifacture of shoes toshire, split or even blanks of leather. As shown. the periphery of theroll 28 is serrated to facilitate the feeding of the lifts. lhetrunnions of the roll 28 are jmirnaled in bearing blocks 26S (Figs. i;and G) which are movable horizontally in suitable guideways and areacted upon by stiff springs 2T0 tending to force them toward the knifeand normally to hold them against stop shoul ders 272 (Fig. 4-.) thatare formed on the underside of the feed table. Each spri 270 is backedup by an adjusting bolt that is threaded through a portion of the head46 and by means of which the tension of the springs can be adjusted.

The skiving knife 32 i: and Si is mounted upon a suitable frame piece276 which is bolted to the head .:6 and the upper face of wh ch forms aportion of the guideway for the bearing blocks 26% in which the feedroll 2% is journaled. The opposite longitudinal edges of the knife 32are beveled (Fig. 8) and are held against the vertical face of the framepiece 276 by means of two blocks 278 which are secured to the framepiece, the blocks hzwing beveled. edges which overlap thecorrespondingly beveled edges of the knife. The bottom edge of the kniferests upon a bolt 280 which is threaded int n a block 282 through whichit extends verli cally, the block being provided with a lat-- eralprojection 294 that fits into an opening in the vertical face of theframe piece 276 and holds the block in position beneath the knife. Bymanipulating the bolt 280. the knife may be removed or may be adjustedtoward and from the plane of the axes of the feed rolls.

The shaft of ll e feed roll is journaled in hearings in a slide 286(Fig. 4-) which is supported for horizontal movement in guidcway formedbeneath the feed table. The roll 30 is pressed toward the roll 28 by alight spring 288 which encircles a rod 290 one end of which is fixed ina downwardly extending lug at the inner end oi the slide 286, while theopposite end of: the rod extends loosely through a bracket 292. which isbolted to the underside of the feed table the spring being interposedbetween the lug and the nearer side of the bracket.

The normal position of the roll with relation to the roll is determinedby a stop nut 29% on the outer end of the rod 290 which is adapted toengage the adjacent side of the bracket 292. in addition to cooperatingwith the roll 28 to feed the lifts to the knife 32. the roll 30 alsoserves to position the breast edge of the lift widthwise with relationto the knife for the purpose of determining the thickness to which thelift is to be skived. To this end the roll 30 is permitted to move awayfrom the roll 28 only a predetermined amount when a lift is introducedbetween the rolls. The movement of the roller is limited by a pair ofblocks 296 (Figs. -fland which have wedge faces arranged in oppositionto corresponding wedge faces at the adjacent edge of the slide 286. Theblocks 296 rest upon a horizontal portion of the bracket 292 with thefaces of the blocks which are opposite the wedge faces thereof incontact with a vertical face of the bracket.

Extending through the blocks 296 is a bolt 298 that is supportedrotatively in the head 46 and is provided with right and left threadedportions on which the blocks are mounted. At the front of the machinethe bolt 298 is provided with a knurled head 300 by means of which thebolt may be rotated to adjust the width of the space between the wedgefaces of the blocks and the wedge. faces of the slide 286, and thusdetermine the operative position of the roll 30 by varying the distancethrough which the roll 30 may move away from the roll 28.

In order to enable the operator to set the machine so as to skive liftsto the required thickness :1. scale 302 is provided at the rear of themachine as shown in Fig. 2, and a pointer 304 is arranged to moveforwardly 01' rearxwirdly across the scale as the wedge blocks 296 areadjusted toward or away from each other. To this end the rear of thebolt 298 is internally threaded to receive an externally threaded rod306 (see also Fig. 6) the outer end of which projects beyond the bolt298 and fits loosely in a guideway formed in a bracket 308 that issecured to the rear of the head 46. The rod 306 carries the pointer 30awhich projects upwardly through a slot 310 in the bracket 368 andprevents the rod from turning as it is adjusted lol'igitudinally in theguideway by the turning of the head 300.

As best shown in Figs. 4', 5 and 6, the rollers 28 and 30 are driven byindependent gear connections with a pinion 312 that rotates with asprocket wheel 31% driven by a chain 316 which is driven by anothersprocket wheel. 318 fast on the cam shaft 4.8. An idle adjustablesprocket wheel 320 (Fig. l) keeps this chain tight.

The passage of a lift between the feed rolls tends to move the roll 30'away from the roll 28 more or less depending upon the thickness of thelift. After the lateral movement of the roll 30 away from the roll 28has ceased, the roll 30 then operates as if it were mounted rigidly, andthe lift then causes the roll 28 to yield laterally against the tensionof the springs 270 to an extent depending upon the thickness and thedensity of the lift. Since both rolls are positively driven indirections tending to feed the lift between them and force it againstthe cutting edge of the knife 32. the knife will skive off the part ofthe lift that passes between it and the roll 28, and. this part will beconveyed away from the machine as waste by means of a chute 322 (Fig.4c) that is suitably supported on the frame of the machine, while thatpart of the lift which passes between the knife and the roll 30 isretained. By turning the bolt 298 by means of the head 300 the wedgeblocks 296 may be adjusted to vary the movement of the roll 30 after itis engaged by a lift and thus determine the thickness of the lift inaccordance with the indication on the scale 302. It is contemplated thatthe machine will be used to skive or even lifts which have been gradedaccording to thickness or density and that therefore the roll 30 can beset according to the thickness or density of the lot of lifts beingoperated upon. This arrangement of the rolls enables them to press thelifts firmly be tween them even in case they encounter a lift muchthinner than that for which they are set and consequently insures theaccurate feeding of the lifts through the skiving mechanismnotwithstanding substantial changes in the thickness or density of thelifts. If this mechanism is properly set the lifts come through itevened, or each reduced to a uniform thickness tln'oughout its area.

In order to insure that the skived lift, after leaving the feed rolls,shall be delivered to the stacking blade 38 (Fig. 4) in proper positionto be stacked in the magazine 40, the lift is fed across the guidingplate 34, between a pair of lateral edge guides 326, and the springretaining finger 36 presses the lift against the guiding plate and holdsit temporarily after it has passed beyond the feed rolls, until it ispushed out from beneath the retaining linger by the succeeding lift. Theguiding plate is suitably supported on the frame of the machineat therear of the knife 32 and is adapted to guide the lift in front of thestacking blade 38. The lateral edge guides 326 consist of two parallelstrips which projGCi; upwardly from the inner extremities of twoparallel angle bars 330 which constitute the lift magazine 40. Theretaining linger 36 is carried by a supporting strip which is secured tothe guiding plate. By means of the lateral edge guides 326 the lift isprevented from rotating in its own plane as it passes from the feedrolls to the magazine and thus the breast edge of the lift is kepthorizontal. The retaining finger 86 insures that the lift will beconfined between the edge guides 326 during its passage from the feedrolls to the magazine.

The stacking blade 38 is secured to a rock shaft 3-32 (Figs. i and 5)that adapted to turn within bearings formed on one of a pair of bracketsthat are bolted to lie frame standards 44. The stacking blade is adaptedto swing vertically back and forth between the angle bars 330 toalternately receive a skived lift and move it into stacked relation tothe other lifts in the magazine 40. At the beginning of operations,before any lifts have been delivered to the maga zine, a block or dummymay be placed in the magazine to support the first of the lifts to bestacked therein. The means for actuating the stacking blade 38 comprisesan arm 336 (Figs. 1 and 3) which is connected by means of a link 338with a cam lever 34:0, carrying a cam roll which is held by a spring 344against a cam 34-6 on the cam shaft 48.

The lift magazine 40 into which the skived lifts are delivered by thestacking blade 38 comprises the two parallel angle bars 330 (Figs. t and5) which are adjustably mount ed on a pair of rods 350 (Figs. 4: andthat are secured in the brackets 33 The webs of the angle bars 830extend horizontally and vertically so as to provide, respectivelysupports for the breast edges of the lifts, and guides for their lateraledges. In -)rder to prevent the lifts from falling backwardly out of theopen receiving end of the magazine a retaining pawl 352 (Fig. 8) isprovided at the end of each angle. bar 380 the pawls being pivoted onstuds 353 that are secured to brackets on the angle bars. The pawls 352extend inwardly beyond the opposed vertical. faces of the angle bars andare normally held by suitable springs in the position shown in Fig. 8 tosupport the end lift in the magazine. The lateral edge guides 326 serveas stops to limit the movement of the lift retaining pawls 352 under theinfluence of their springs. The pawls 352 are free to yield inwardly topermit the entrance of the lifts into the magazine L0.

Inorder that the magazine 40 may be adjusted to accommodate lifts ofdifferent sizes, the angle bars 330 are arranged to move laterallytoward and from each other on the supporting rods 350. To this end eachangle bar is carried by a pair of blocks 354 (Figs. 4, 5 and 7) whichare severally adapted to slide on the rods 350. In order to maintain theangle bars 330 in parallel relation with each other and to provide formoving them concurrently toward and from each other in equal degrees,the supporting blocks of each angle bar are severally provided with pins358 which are received in the forked ends of upwardly extending arms 360that are secured to one or the other of a pair of rock shafts 362. Therock shafts 862 are journaled in bearings in the brackets and areconnected at points adjacent the rocker arms 360 by inter-meshing gearsegments 864; One of the rocker arms 860 has formed integrally therewitha second arm 366 and is provided at its fin-ward end with a bolt 368that extends through a. segmental slot 370 in a portion of the adjacentbracket 334'. and a clamping head 37? is provided which is adapted to betightened against the side of the bracket to hold the angle bars intheir adjusted positions. By turning the head 372 and raising orlowering the bolt 368 in the slot 370. the angle bars 380 may beconveniently adjusted by a single operation. It will be obser ed thatthe lateral edge guides 826 which are formed as integral parts of theangle bars 330 will also be adjusted at the same time.

When the supply of lifts on the feed table has become exhausted. or iffor any reason a lift becomes stuck in the machine. it is desirable tointerrupt the normal operation of the machine. In the constructionshown. means is provided which is crmtroll-ed by the passage of thelifts through the machine so that when the machine is operating properlyand the lifts are traveling through the machine in the desired manner.the machine is maintained in operation. but upon the failure of themachine to deliver a lift to the magazine 40 at a predetermined point ineach cycle of operations, the stop mechanism 42 is employed to throw offthe power and stop the machine.

As shown in Figs. 1 to I") inclusive. :1 bolt shifter 376 is providedfor shifting the belt into and out of operative engagement. with thefast pulley 50. hen the lTHUlllllO is in operation the belt of course ison the fast pulley and the belt shifter is in the position in which itappears in Figs. 2 and The belt shifter is pivoted upon the frame at therear of the machine and is connected by a link 378 with a shipper lever3.80 which is pivoted on the frame at the front of the machine. The link378 is acted upon by a. spring 382 tending to throw the belt shifter ina direction to shift the belt onto the loose pulley but the spring isnormally prevented from actuating the belt shifter by the engagement ofa dog 384 that is pivoted at 886 on the link 378, with a latch 388 thatis pivoted at 390 on a crossbar 392 which so cured at its ends to thebrackets 334-. A pair of stops 394 on the link 378 serve by engagementwith the opposite sides of the adjacent frame standard 14: to preventthe belt from being shifted too far in either direction.

The dog 384 has an upstanding arm 396 which is connected by a link 398and a spring 400 with the shipper lever 380, a pin 402 on the shipperlever being received in a longitudinal slot 404 in the link 3.78. Thespring 400 normally holds the dog 384 in position to engage the latch388, the link 398 serving to hold the dog in operative position againstthe action of the spring 400, as shown in Fig. 5.

The latch 388 is adapted to be actuated by a rod 406 which is supportedin suitable guideways in the brackets 334 for longitudinal slidingmovement in a horizontal plane. To this end an arm 408 extends upwardlyfrom the latch 388 and is held by a light spring 409 against a pin 410projecting laterally from the rod 406, while a stronger spring 412 actsupon the rod in a direction tending to cause the pin 410 to disengagethe latch 388 from the dog 384, so as to cause the belt to betransferred from the fast to the loose pulley and thus stop the machine.Normally the rod 406 is held against sliding movement under theinfluence of the spring 412 by the upper arm of a cam lever 414 which isfulcrumed on the rod 54. The lower end of the cam lever 414 carries a.cam roll 416 which rides against the cam 418 fast on the cam shaft 48, aspring 420 acting upon the lever to hold the roll against the cam. Thecam 418 is so designed that it holds the upper arm of the cam lever 414in the position indicated in Fig. 4 so as to permit the latch 388 to beengaged by the dog 384 during the greater part of the revolution of thecam shaft 48 which produces one cycle of operations of the machine.There is, however, a short lowspot in the cam 418, as shown in Fig. 1,which permits the rod 406 to swing the cam lever 414 toward the right inFig. 4 until the latch 388 is disengaged from the dog 384 thus stoppingthe operation of the machine. But normally another means becomeseffective at this point to restrain the rod 406 and this means iscontrolled by the movement of one of the retaining pawls 352. The rod406 has a notch 422 out into it at such a point that when the rod is inthe position at which it appears in Figs. 1 and 4, the notch lies in thepath of a dog 424 pivoted on a stud 426 that is supported at itsopposite ends in lugs projecting from one of the brackets 334. A spring428 acts upon the dog 424 in a direction tending to hold it out of thenotch 422, in the position shown in Fig. 4, this position beingdetermined by the engagement of a lug 430 on the dog with a stop 432 onthe bracket 334.

In order that the dog 424 may be actuated by the movement of one of theretaining pawls 352, the dog'424 is provided with an elongated hub fromwhich two arms 434 extend upwardly adjacent the outer sides of the rockshafts 362, and these arms are connected above the rock shaft by a bar436. The bar 436 is engaged by a downwardly projecting pin 438 (F 4 and8) at the end of a rocker arm 440 that is pivoted to a bracket on theouter side of one of the angle bars 330, and this rocker arm isconnected by a link 442 with a similar arm 444 secured to the bottom ofthe stud 353 of one of the retaining pawls 352. By means of the bar 436the dog 424 is operatively connected with the retaining pawl 352 irrespective of the adjustment of the angle bars 330. It will be evidentthat the spring 428 will serve to maintain in operative position theretaining pawl 352 by means of which the dog is operated so that noadditional spring is required for the purpose.

It will now be evident that each time a skived lift is properlydelivered by the stacking blade 38 to the magazine 40 the retainingpawls 352 will be rocked as the lift passes by them and through theconnections thus described between one of the pawls and the dog 424 thedog will be pressed into the notch 422 in the rod 406 where it preventsthe rod from moving longitudinally under the influence of the spring412. This operation takes place at that point in the cycle of operationsof the machine in which the roll carried by the lever 414 is passingover the lower spot in the cam 418. If for any reason the retaining pawl352 is not rocked at this point in the cycle, the dog 424 will be heldout of the notch 422 and the rod 406 will-be pushed toward the right inFig. 4 by the spring 412 tripping the latch 388 and allowing the spring382 to throw the belt shifter 376 far enough to transfer the belt ontothe loose pulley and stop the machine. After the difliculty which causesthe stopping of the machine has been remedied, the shipper lever 380 ispulled forwardly by hand, the pin and slot connection between the link398 and the shipper lever permitting the dog 384 to pass beneath thelatch 388 and reassume its normal position in front of the latch. Therotation of the cam 418 produced by the application of power to themachine again will operate through the cam lever 414 to turn the beltshifter 37 6 into position to hold the belt upon the fast pulley. Itwill thus be evident that the lift retaining pawl 352 which isoperatively connected with the dog 424 serves not only as the purpose ofa pawl operated to support the end lift in the magazine 4.0 but alsoperforms the functions of a feeler since it feels for the lifts enteringthe magazine and allows the trip mechanism to operate or prevents itfrom operating, depending upon whether or not it is engaged by a lift atthe proper time. The pin and slot connection between the link 378 andthe shipper lever 380 permits the manual shifting of the belt byallowing the initial movement of the shipper lever to act through thelink 378 to disengage the dog 38a from the latch 388.

The operation of the machine has been explained so completely inconnection with the description given above of the construction andarrangement of the various parts that any further description ofoperation is believed to be unnecessary.

While the invention has been herein disclosed as embodied in a mechanismdesigned to skive or even heel lifts, it is of course obvious that theinvention is not limited in its application to this operation, nor tothe details of construction and operation herein disclosed, nor to theconjoint use of all of its features, but that the various features ofthe invention may be embodied either separately or collectively invarious forms without departin" from the real scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Amachine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a support for a stack ofblanks, intermittently actuatedmeans for yieldingly feeding the stack across the support, means forperiodieally withdrawing a blank from the advance end of the stack inthe direction of feed, a skiving knife, and means for forcing each blankwithdrawn from the stack against the knife.

2. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, means for supporting a stack of blanks, a picker adapted tobe advanced to grasp the blanks successively and to be retracted towithdraw the blanks from the end of the stack, means for stripping theblanks from the picker as the latter is retracted, a skiving knife, andmeans for forcing the blanks against the knife after they have beenwithdrawn from the stack.

3. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, means for supporting a stack of blanks, a skiving knife,feed rolls below the stack for feeding blanks successively to theskiving knife, means for periodically withdrawing a blank from the stackand releasing it to permit it to fall edgewise toward the feed rolls,and means for insuring the introduction of the blank between the feedrolls.

at. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a support for a stack of blanks, a skiving knife,'a pair offeed rolls below the stack for feeding blanks to the skiving knife,means for periodically withdrawing a blank from the stack and releasingit at a point above the feed rolls to permit it to fall against saidrolls, a pusher for introducing the leading edges of the blanks betweenthe feed rolls, and means for varying the path of the working stroke ofthe pusher to insure that blanks of different sizes will be grasped bythe feed rolls.

5. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incon'ibination, a support for a stack of blanks, means for withdrawing ablank from the stack, a skiving knife, a pair of feed rolls for feed ingblanks to the skiving knife, and an oscillatory arm for pushing theblank with drawn from the stack toward the feed rolls until the leadingedge of the blank is grasped thereby, said arm being mounted withprovision for adjusting its center of oscillation to shift its workingstroke so as to insure that blanks of different sizes will be grasped bythe feed rolls.

6. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a support for the lower edges of a stack of verticallydisposed blanks, a picker for withdrawing horizontally the endmost blankfrom the stack, a skiving knife, a pair of feed rolls for feeding theblanks to the skiving knife, a pusher for engaging the upper edge of theblank withdrawn from the stack and pushing it to present its lower edgeto the feed rolls, and means for causing the working stroke of thepusher to be shifted relatively to the support to insure that blanks ofdifferent sizes will be grasped by the feed rolls.

7. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a support for a horizontal stack of blanks, means forintermittently feeding the stack across the support, means for clampingthe edges of the blanks near the forward end of the stack betweensuccessive feed movements of the stack, a picker for successivelywithdrawing the endmost blanks from the stack in the direction of feed,skiving mechanism, and a pusher movable across the forward end of thestack for engaging the blanks thus withdrawn from the stack andintroducing them edgewise to the skiving mechanism, one side of thepusher being adapted to provide lateral support for the blank at theforward end of the stack when released by said clamping means.

8. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a support for a horizontal stack of heel lifts arrangedwith their breast edges downward, means for Withdrawing a lift from thestack in a direction perpendicular to the plane of its exposed face, askiving knife, a pair of horizontal feed rolls for feeding the blanks tothe knife, and a pusher for engaging the rear edge of each liftwithdrawn from the stack and introducing it breast edge foremost to thefeed rolls, the pusher having a plurality of pointed arms for engagingthe edge of the lift to prevent the lift from turning in its own planewhile being acted upon by the pusher.

9. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, means for supporting and advancing a stack of blanks, apicker for periodically withdrawing the endmost blank from the stack ina direction perpendicular to the plane of the exposed face thereof, anda stop member disposed at the end of the stack and arranged forrectilinear movement toward and away from the end of the stack to limitthe advance of the stack and permit the withdrawal of the endmost blanktherefrom by the picker.

10. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a support for a stack of blanks, a picker for removingblanks singly from the end of the stack, means for periodically forcingthe picker against the end of the stack to seize the end blank, meansfor preventing retrograde movement of said end blank under the influenceof the picker, means for yieldingly advancing the stack betweensuccessive operations of the picker, and a stop alternately moved intoposition to limit each feed D'IOVQ- ment of the stack, and withdrawn inthe direction of feed to permit the removal of the end piece thereof.

11. A heel-lift skiving machine having, in combination, a feed table forsupporting a horizontal stack of lifts, means for intermittently feedingthe stack across the support, a stop alternately advanced toward the endof the stack to limit the feed movements thereof and withdrawn to permitthe removal of the end lift from the stack, a picker for removing saidlift, a skiving knife, a pair of feed rolls for feeding the lift thusremoved to the knife, a pusher for advancing the lift to the feed rolls,apd a magazine for receiving the skived lifts.

12. A machine for operating on blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a support for a horizontal stack of blanks, means forintermittently feeding the stack across the support, an annular stopmember alternately advanced toward the end of the stack to limit thefeed movements thereof and Withdrawn to permit the removal of the endblank from the stack, a picker movable through the stop member forwithdrawing said blank, skiving mechanism, and means for transferringthe blank to the skiving mechanism.

13. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, a feed table for supporting the lower edges of a stack ofblanks arranged in face-to-face relationship, a stop member alternatelyadvanced toward the end of the stack and withdrawn to permit the removalof the end blank from the stack, means for intermittently feeding thestack across the feed table to advance the end blank against said stop,a picker for removing said blank, means for clamping a plurality of theblanks in the stack adjacent said end blank to support them during theremoval of the latter, skiving mechanism, and a pusher arranged totransfer the blank edgewise to the skiving mechanism and provide lateralsupport for the blank remaining at the end of the stack when released bysaid clamping means.

14L. In a machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material a supportfor a stack of blanks, means for advancing the stack on said support, apicker which is advanced and rotated to seize tie endmost blank in thestack and then withdrawn and rotated in the opposite direction to removethe blank from the stack and release it from the picker, and a stopmember movable into engagement with the end blank in the stack to limitthe advance of the stack and adapted to be withdrawn concurrently with.the picker, said member having a roughened blank engaging surface forpreventing the rotative movement of the picker in releasing the blankfrom being imparted. to: the blank.

15. A machine for operating upon blanks of sheet material having, incombination, skiving mechanism, means for feeding blanks singly to theskiving mechanism, a magazine in which the skived blanks are received, astacking device for moving each blank into stacked relation with theremaining blanks in the magazine, and mechanism controlled by aninterruption of the stacking of blanks in the magazine for stopping themachine.

16. A heel-lift skiving machine having, in combination, means forsupporting a stack of vertically disposed lifts, mechanism for skivingthe lifts while vertically disposed, means for withdrawing the liftsflatwise from the stack and presenting them vertically to the skivingmechanism, and means for stacking the skived lifts without moving themmaterially out of a vertical plane. L

17 A machine of the class described having, in combination, a supportfor a stack of blanks, a skiving knife, means for feeding a blank to theknife, a picker for withdrawing the endmost blank from the stack in adirection substantially perpendicular to the plane of its exposed face,and a pusher for moving the blank from the picker to the mechanism forfeeding it to the knife.

18. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a supportfor a stack of blanks, means for moving the stack intermittently alongthe support, a picker for withdrawing blanks one by one from one end ofthe stack in the direction of movement of the stack, skiving mechanism,and a pusher for transferring the blanks as they are separated from thestack by the picker to the skiving mechanism.

19. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a supportfor a stack of blanks, means for moving the stack intermittently alongthe support, a picker for withdrawing blanks one by one from one end ofthe stack in the direction of move ment of the stack, skivingn'iechanisnl. a 10 means, the picker, the pusher and the shiv- 15 ingmechanism from said shaft.

ERASTUS E. \VINKL E Y.

